2025 has been an incredible year for games, and it might be stronger without Grand Theft Auto 6 in the picture. GTA 6 was the looming 2025 boogeyman for a lot of game developers and publishers, with many early reports suggesting that developers were not committing to a release date until GTA 6 had one. After GTA 6 was delayed, the towering industry-wide phantom seemed to vanish, giving room for other 2025 games to breathe a sigh of relief.
With GTA 6 releasing in May 2026 (for now, assuming it does not get delayed again), this year’s spotlight can now shine on all the great games released in 2025, and there are still several more coming later this year. From a bird’s eye view, GTA 6‘s delay might make 2025 one of the greatest years for games in recent memory, one full of variety, new ideas, and new takes on old ideas.
The First Half Of 2025 Set A High Standard
New IPs, Great Sequels, & More
Within the first six months of 2025, we got several Game of the Year contenders, a lot of remasters of popular games, and even a new console with the Nintendo Switch 2 launch. January started strong with the PC ports of the beloved Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Xbox Game Pass saw a February boon with the underrated Avowed, and the best-selling game of the year so far, Monster Hunter Wilds, was released.
In March, Split Fiction was released to critical acclaim, and in April, the most-talked-about game of 2025 so far hit store shelves: Clair Obsur: Expedition 33, the highest-rated game of the year so far on Metacritic, beating out April’s indie hit Blue Prince, and becoming the highest user-scored game ever on the site. A few weeks later, in May, the much-anticipated DOOM: The Dark Ages was released. Elden Ring Nightreign saw major success in May, too.
June was spotlighted by one event: the Switch 2 launch. Despite all the Switch 2’s controversies, like Game-Key Cards and the $80 Mario Kart World, the console became the fastest-selling console in history and shattered several records. Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2 ended June with a bang.
How GTA 6’s Delay Sets Up A Stacked Fall
The Focus Has Spread To Other Games
The back-half of 2025 started off strong, too, with Donkey Kong Bananza releasing in July and entering the GOTY conversation. Now that August is here, and we don’t have to prepare for a massive GTA 6 fall launch, the rest of the year is shaping up nicely. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is the headliner for August, and September begins and ends with two horror releases, Cronos: The New Dawn on September 5, and Silent Hill f on September 25.
October begins strong with the highly-anticipated follow-up to Ghost of Tushima, Ghost of Yotei, and is followed later in the month by Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Battlefield 6 was recently revealed and is coming October 10. There are also rumors that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 could make an appearance in October, too.
Additionally, there are still several games that are slated for a 2025 release that still don’t have specific dates, the most notable one being Metroid Prime 4. Overall, it’s hard to imagine attention being divided towards so many upcoming 2025 games if Grand Theft Auto 6 was still in the picture. Now, gamers will have to find another game to play this fall and holiday season, and there are plenty of great options.
